Former JU quarterback Josh McGregor will try out with Jaguars this weekend

Monday

Apr 30, 2012 at 9:58 PM

Vito Stellino

Josh McGregor has beaten the odds before.

After being a three-year starter at Glades Day School in Belle Glade and winning the Florida 2006 Class 1A state championship, he spent a year at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.

Then he walked on at Jacksonville University in 2008 and started out as the No. 5 quarterback on the depth chart.

After a prolific career at JU, now he's trying to get himself invited to an NFL training camp. He wasn't invited to the scouting combine and wasn't drafted or offered a contract as an undrafted free agent.

So he's trying to go the workout route.

McGregor was invited to the Jaguars camp this weekend and if he's not signed to the roster, he'll go to Seattle's camp the following weekend.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to play," said McGregor, who received a chance to work out for scouts at Florida's Pro Day. "I think I've got a good chance," he said. "I'm a hard worker and take every opportunity I can get."

McGregor ranks sixth on the Football Championship Subdivision all-time list with 116 touchdown passes and was 18th all-time with 11,230 yards. He holds virtually every school passing record.

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In the Battle of Florida all-star game last January, McGregor completed 11-of-12 passes in the first quarter to get the North team off to a 27-0 lead en route to a 51-3 victory.

Teams are allowed to sign workout players who can participate in a rookie camp to try to win a roster spot. The Jaguars, who didn't include any quarterbacks among the 17 undrafted free agents they signed to the regular roster Monday, told McGregor they would invite two quarterbacks to the rookie camp.

The Jaguars won't announce the workout players until today, but Rashad Jennings, who played at Liberty, tweeted they are bringing in Liberty quarterback Mike Brown, who was invited to the combine but was projected to an undrafted free agent.

Of the 17 undrafted free agents they signed, the most notable one was Ohio State center Mike Brewster, who ranks second in school history with 49 consecutive starts. A graduate of Edgewater High in Orlando, he graduated in December and was projected to be a third- or fourth-rounder by the Pro Football Weekly Draft Guide, but was bypassed in the draft, possibly because he has short arms.

They also signed two players who played in Florida: defensive end Ryan Davis of Bethune-Cookman and wide receiver Kevin Elliott, who played at Florida A&M.

They signed two other offensive linemen: guard D.J. Hall Jr. of Texas State, who was a four-year starter; and tackle Lee Barbiasz of Northern Colorado, a three-year starter and team captain.

Even though they drafted Justin Blackmon in the first round and signed two other veterans in free agency, the Jaguars added three wide receivers: Jarrett Boykin of Virginia Tech, a four-year starter; Elliott, a four-year letterman and standout special-teams player; and Nelson Rosario of UCLA. They also added tight end Matt Veldman of North Dakota, who started 15 games as a senior on a team that won the FCS championship.

The Jaguars also signed one running back, Joe Banyard of UTEP, who played two years after transferring from TCU. He rushed for 867 yards as a senior.

On the defensive side, they signed three defensive ends: Kendrick Adams of LSU, who played two years after transferring from a community college and started 23 of 25 games; Davis, who had 22 sacks in his career; and Frank Trotter of Memphis.

They added one defensive tackle, Drew Nowak of Western Michigan.

They also signed two linebackers: J.K. Schaffer of Cincinnati, who played in 50 games in four seasons, and Julian Stanford of Wagner.

They also signed three cornerbacks - Antonio Dennard of Langston, an NAIA school that had only 11.5 scholarships in 2011, Antwon Blake of UTEP, and Dontrel Johnson of Murray State.

Vito Stellino: (904) 359-4279

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